Salad with Sticky Sesame Cauliflower, Roasted Potatoes and Tahini Dressing

I've been eating this salad at least once or twice a week without fail! I don't believe I'll ever get sick of it because there's so many variations of this salad you can make depending on what you have at home that needs to be used. I sometimes leave out the cauliflower and instead add tempeh or any other roasted vegetables. This salad is the best way to incorporate lots of greens and raw veggies on your plate.

The main highlight of the salad is the delicious tahini, peanut dressing! It's one I've been perfecting over the past few months and is now my go-to dressing. It makes the entire dish! You can also use this dressing on top of buddha bowls or roasted vegetables.

If you want to make this salad as simple as possible, then it's probably best to leave out the cauliflower and only roast potatoes. It's a bit more of an elaborate salad when you add in the cauliflower bites because there's a lot of back and forth from the cauliflower, potatoes and salad. I enjoy making it more of an elaborate salad on a Sunday when there's no need to rush. It's also fun to do together with a partner! If you have the time, I'd recommend trying the cauliflower bites because they are heaven. If you omit the cauliflower from the recipe, then the salad should really only take 15 - 20 minutes to put together (not counting the cook time for potatoes).

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

For salad:

Few handfuls of mixed salad

1 tin butter beans

1 tin corn

1 large carrot (grated)

1 cucumber (grated)

1 red bell pepper

Handful cherry tomatoes

3 spring onions

4 medium sized potatoes

1/2 tsp paprika (for roast potatoes)

1/2 tsp cumin (for roast potatoes)

1/2 tsp chilli powder (for roast potatoes)

Salt/pepper (for roast potatoes)

1 tbsp olive oil (for roast potatoes)

For salad dressing:

2 tbsp runny tahini

1 tbsp smooth, runny peanut butter

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp olive oil

Juice 1/2 lemon

Water - around 3 tbsp (start small, and add more water bit by bit until you reach your desired consistency)

Extras:

Balsamic glaze

For cauliflower:

1/3 cup chickpea flour (or rice flour)

1/3 cup water

1 tbsp cornflower (or arrowroot)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pinch of pepper

For spicy cauliflower sauce:

1/4 cup tamari (or soy sauce)

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1-2 tbsp hot sauce (ex: cholula or sriracha)

3 garlic cloves

Thumb sized piece of ginger

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot)

1/4 cup water

For guacamole:

1 large avocado

Juice 1/2 lime

Pinch pepper/chilli flakes

Handful of chopped coriander

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 200C or 392F.

2. Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Add all spices: paprika, cumin, chilli powder, salt, pepper with olive oil and place in oven for around 45 minutes. Check periodically to make sure it's not burning.

FOR CAULIFLOWER - SKIP IF NOT USING CAULIFLOWER

1. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. In a large bowl, mix the chickpea flour with water, garlic powder and pepper. The batter should be fluid but thick enough to coat the cauliflower. Stir the cauliflower florets into the bowl to evenly coat them. *If it is a small cauliflower use 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup water, but if it is a large cauliflower, use 1 cup flour with 1 cup water*

2. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and place each cauliflower floret on the baking tray. Leave at least 1 inch of space between each floret. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. While you wait for the cauliflower, make the spicy sauce. In a small sauce pan, add in all of the sauce ingredients (minus the cornstarch) and let it simmer for around 2 minutes until it starts to thicken.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 tbsp cornstarch with water and add that into the sauce pan, stirring until it thickens. Then turn off heat.

5. Once the cauliflower is done baking, let it cool for a few minutes before pouring the sticky sauce over it and mixing it well together.

BACK TO SALAD

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in all of the salad ingredients and mix together: mixed salad, butter beans, corn, grated carrot, grated cucumber, chopped red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and spring onions.

2. Make the salad dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing well. I usually start by stirring the tahini, peanut butter, maple syrup, oil and lemon juice together before adding in the water bit by bit.

3. For the guacamole, mash together 1 avocado with lime juice, pepper, chilli flakes and coriander.

4. Now put it all together! Add the mixed salad to a plate with a few pieces of cauliflower bites and a handful of potatoes. Drizzle the dressing and balsamic glaze. Enjoy!